PS3 XMB & Trophies, Xbox 360 Wii Miis - Is originality dead and buried?
By Dave Parrack
I had high hopes for this generation of games consoles, with innovation and evolution being my vision for it. However, with the PS3 copying the Xbox 360, the Xbox 360 rumoured to be copying the Wii and both copying the idea of a Wii style motion sensing controller, is originality actually dead and buried?
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not as if I’m exactly disappointed with this generation so far. There have been some fine games on all three consoles, although I think they all need a higher hit rate in the future to really move the industry along. The online capabilities for gamers have also been ramped up, and then there is the move to consoles becoming home entertainment hubs, with the Playstation 3 already probably the best, and one of the cheapest Blu-ray players on the market.
But there is a hell of a lot of copying going on, with each of the big three seeming to want to copy each other… woah, hang on, that’s wrong, Nintendo are leading the way, and Sony and Microsoft seem to be following in their wake.
The Wii is an underpowered console, there’s no doubting that. The graphics are poor, there’s the memory problem, the lack of third-party support yada yada. But in terms of sheer originality and innovation, Nintendo and the Wii are outperforming both of their competitors this generation.
The most obvious signs of this are the motion sensing control method, and the dragging in of casual gamers to the industry. They go hand in hand, and both Sony and Microsoft now want a piece of the action after seeing how successful the strategy has proved for Nintendo.
There are rumours of new Wii Remote style controllers for both the PS3 and Xbox 360, and while the more hardcore gamers amongst you may despise the idea, neither company can afford to miss the boat on what is essentially a license to print money.
Then a few days ago we had a rumour circulating from Xbox 360 Fanboy about Wii Miis coming to the Xbox 360. These Xbox Avatars were included in a batch of rumours surrounding announcements Microsoft may be making at this year’s E3. They look and do exactly as a Wii Mii does.
And then today we have the official announcement on the Playstation.Blog of XMB in-game access for PS3 owners, a luxury that Xbox 360 users have enjoyed for a while. It will be coming with the Firmware v2.40 update, which will also include what is being called “trophies”, a new feature that sounds eerily similar to Xbox 360 achievements.
I’m glad, in a way, that Xbox 360 owners will get their own version of Wii Miis and that PS3 owners will be getting XMB and achievements, but man does it show a lack of originality across the industry.
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June 18th, 2008
I honestly dont see how the PS3 getting the XMB in game features could be anything but a good thing. I mean the XMB is original in itself, its not like they copied the dashboard, and we dont even know the details yet, it may differ somehow :/ who knows. But as I said, major thumbs up, should’ve had it at launch (now the release date please!!)
As for xbox ‘Mii’s’ they are a bit of a copy (looking at the picture circulating the web that is) but again, I dont think its necessarily a bad thing. Atleast they’ll be put to more use than the Mii’s….
I think there is to be a lot of copying this generation… but you know what that means? Innovation beforehand. Which is only good for us
June 18th, 2008
I dont think it shows lack of originality… there has always been an unwritten standard in technology that everyone abides by….
Like…. PS2s could play DVDs…. Xboxs could play DVD movies too… is that copying??
PS Controllers have 2 Analog Joysticks
Xbox Controllers have 2 Analog Controllers
Sorry for the terrible examples…
But as I see it… an avatar system may be interesting… although I dont see the point in dressing up a virtual cartoony version of me with different color clothes every day…. but the 360 did bring the “Change the face plates… change the look of your 360″ thing…. so the avatar system could complement it…
The in game menu… and the achievements… well these arent exactly invented by rocket scientists… its not like youre STEALING… (unless you own modded consoles :P)
With the increase in number of people playing online… these things are standard…. the real improvement is the Second Life-like Online thingy Playstation Home… THAT is something that hasnt been done before….
Even in online forums… you can see people have their little pictures of avatars…. or their “stats” from their games and stuff…. so dont worry bout it too much…
However goin down the casual road for the PS3 AND the 360 could bite em in the ass…. they have denounced the Wii for their casual attitude and it would be hippocrasy for them to come up with a motion controller or a buncha cartoony casual *make you feel fluffy inside* game….
Though a Wii mote like controller for the 360 AND the PS3 would be cool… can you imagine using it to slash Zeus in GOW!!! ?? or to use it in Halo ??? THAT would be cool… it would a perfect combination of innovation and raw harware “powah”…..
June 18th, 2008
well i dont know about copying…….the XMB is original…..its a home menu media center…..the 360s dashboard is a piece of shit…..i have a 360, but i just cant stand the dashboard……its not user friendly to me…..and who cares about copying off an in-game menu…..its something that is common……besides, microsoft copies off of sony and apple all the time
June 18th, 2008
PS3 ALREADY HAS MOTION SENSING!! CHRIST!……and besides sony wouldn’t be copying……they would use their six axis….which is better than regular motion sensing…..any sony would make a better design…..the PS controller is the comfortable controller
June 18th, 2008
I think all three consoles are going to have to come up with something similar. They are going to go where the money is.
But new innovation is still needed…
Wii– Wii Fit Board
PS3– HOME still in development.
Xbox 360– Tv shows and movie rentals==little high price but something new.
Motion sensing is the new thing everyone is going to dive into more. Skate boards?
Customization…HOME is going allow you to set up your own character and place to hang.
Wii= has the miis
Xbox 360= making avatars vs. of miis.
I think all three are still in their infant stages of online use. A whole lot more can still be done.
June 18th, 2008
Until it breaches Copyright terms in the business world, it isn’t copying.
June 18th, 2008
man this article is just plain stupid.
k let cancel the XMB because it would be copying microsoft…. wow
June 18th, 2008
“lets not give the playstation users an in-game access to XMB because its not original”
June 18th, 2008
Fanboyism, Fanboyism, and more Fanboyism from my main man Matt. Shut the **** up if all you have to say is fanboyism.
Personally, I love the idea of every console ripping off the ideas of the other one. Whether you own one console or all three, this will play out good for everybody. Once Sony and Microsoft rip off Nintendo with the sytle of casual games that are heavily dependent on motion sensors or six-axis and aimed at Nintendo’s current and potential market, the Wii will finally see a price drop, there will be more software specials (maybe something other than WiiSports coming bundled with the Wii also), and then all three companies will be in competition with each other. This means price drops will become more frequent.
Business wise, coming out with Wii-like games would be a great idea for MS & Sony because of the hardware shortage that Wii was going through, and still is in some places. MS & Sony will be able to offer casual gamers a console to play that they won’t have to wait for. Also, each console has things that the other ones won’t, such as 360 has Live (Sony recently “Took” the XMB and Achievements ideas), Sony is planning on Home (Mircosoft starting planning for something similar to Sony’s Home last year), the Wii has life-like (not graphics wise) game controlls like with bowling, tennis, WiiFit (skiing anybody?), and instead of NEEDING to buy a console for one or two different functionalities, you can rest assured that even if you own just one console, you’ll most likely see the competitors’ features on your console (this may not apply to the Wii in all cases).
So, even though there’s a lot of copying, stealing, ripping, and biting from each other (call it what you will) each company has come out with some great features that are becoming unofficail industry standard. So why complain. If you have a 360 or PS3, you won’t need to buy a Wii to play Wii-like games. If you own a Wii, you may not see all the features and functionality that the 360 and PS3 will, but you best bet that Nintendo will lower prices, manufacture more hardware, get more third party game publishers to develop for the Wii instead of PS3 or 360 (Nintendo will play the whole “Casual games sell better on the Wii” trump card). Not only that, you’ll start seeing software price wars. Wii games start at a lower price, so when Sony & Mircosoft start selling ‘Casual’ games it will be at or very close to the current Wii game prices. This will prompt Nintendo to lower their software prices for similar games to keep Wii owners happy with they’re choice of console.
See, no matter how you slice it this is all good for the consumers, like you and me. Rather than complaining about the fact that all companies are stealing each others’ ideas, think about how great this is for everybody.
**Stop fanboyism; hang yourself**
June 18th, 2008
Ahem…the DOES NOT HAVE POOR GRAPHICS!!! This proves it!
http://wii.ign.com/objects/816/816122.html
So do some games that are already out, such as Brawl, SM Galaxy, Endless Ocean, and Metroid Prime 3!!!
And, I want to reply to Matt:
The Sixaxis controller, in case you didn’t know, uses six gyroscopes instead of an accelerometer. A single gyroscope can detect ROTATION (not complete motion) in a single direction, making for some rather awkward (and imprecise) “motion”-sensing indeed!
A single accelerometer, which is the Wii’s technology of choice, can actually detect more than 800 different motions, gestures, rotations, twists and movement patterns in perfect precision!
Look it up if you don’t believe me.
And fanboys: It’s OK to be a fanboy, as long as you don’t go making fun of others for fanboyism, and you don’t speak out before you know your facts are correct.
June 19th, 2008
MS is copying always. The is not one original invention that MS brought in the videogame market.
June 19th, 2008
Oh Trul
I could say so much on this topic But I really don’t feel like doing this again as I detailed a huge list of ideas that originated form Microsoft which you will find in almost all consoles today. You really don’t know what you are talking about. The bottom line is that if you break it down the only ideas Sony ever came up with revolve around the disk drive only.
June 19th, 2008
Oh and that list is somewhere on this web site somewhere in a post some months ago.
June 19th, 2008
What and Microsoft didnt copy the joypad off anyone else? Oh sorry, they moved one of the analog’s to an extremely uncomfortable position and THEN called it a new controller. Got it.
If companies didnt borrow ideas from one another (yes borrow, not copy!) then the gaming industry would be dead. Games wouldn’t have survived past the N64. Sony made the disk drive as you correctly pointed out, so this meant that Microsoft and Nintendo were meant to try and come up with something new? No, didn’t think so. Stop being such a fanboy and realise that Microsoft isn’t some company that you can idolise as perfect for not ‘copying’ off others. Cause they damn sure ain’t.
June 19th, 2008
@ ihateyouall…..im not a fanboy…..there is nothing wrong with not liking the 360s dashboard because its not user friendly to me…..and there is nothing wrong with saying that sony with make an awesome design for their motion sensing controller….seriously, sony makes amazing products, and they are always reliable(sony’s products)……sony has always been a good company and they make quality electronics.
June 19th, 2008
the sixaxis is not motion sensing per se…. its called the SIXAXIS because it can only detect in a…. err…. sixaxis way… meaning it can understand leans… it can understand when you tilt your controller… it can not understand between placing it properly on a table or throwing it at the TV… it doesnt have an accellerometer (I think… I could be wrong) the Wiimote does have one… so it can detect whether you are swonging it fast or slow… so they are pretty much the same thing… but VERY different…
June 19th, 2008
PS3 is currently last in the current console race so they need to think of something!
June 19th, 2008
BOL @ matt’s comment about not being a fanboy!
June 19th, 2008
BOL @ the fat Dixie Chick
June 19th, 2008
@ winner, no one likes you…..so shut up and change your damn name
June 20th, 2008
Actually matt, quite a few people here like me (even some of the PS3 boys like me, E.G arvis and Spidey), not many like you. And just because you like my name so much, i’m not going to change it.
Anyway, why are you always so angry? Do you have sand in your vagina?
June 20th, 2008
girls please, i love you both, please come home soon?
June 20th, 2008
Is there a “Fat Dixie Chick”?
June 20th, 2008
there you go again……but some times you r funny
June 20th, 2008
Bourne, i’ll only come home if you promise to do that thing with the egg beater and the washing machine.
Spidey, yeah, she normally stands in the middle.
June 20th, 2008
I’ll stand in the middle… lol…… Be a spidey sandwich. Even though I hate country music.
Egg beater and a washing machine, that is only gonna end in tears ??
June 21st, 2008
winner i’ve told oyu, last time we did that i got arrested for…well you know
June 22nd, 2008
Damn.
*puts videocamera away*
-Arvis